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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: club · scale · net · calf · bat · hand · wave · wound

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. club — a group
  4. net — for catching
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. club — for dancing
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. scale — size or range
  14. hand — in cards
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. club — for golf
  17. bat — the animal
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. scale — in music
  20. net — in sport
  21. wound — an injury
  22. net — after costs
  23. wound — an injury
  24. hand — help

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com